Wandering Leaf Brewing Co. | St. Paul, MN
Beer Trip: Wandering Leaf Brewing Co. in St. Paul, Minnesota
A snowy day at Wandering Leaf!
When it is snowing in St. Paul, the perfect thing to do for an afternoon is to find a local brewery. Wandering Leaf Brewing Co. happened to be one of the closest to us, so we decided to pay it a visit. Offering great beer, friendly staff, and a “lively” atmosphere, it was just what we needed to kill a few hours.
The Brewery
Nice patio for a warmer day!
We don’t exactly know where the name Wandering Leaf comes from, but one thing we do know is that these people love their plants! Once you walk through the door, you are smacked in the face with live plants everywhere. They organize them diligently, as the plants are arranged so that it feels like they’re breaking the room into different seating sections - yet they’re still sparse enough so that everything maintains an open feel. Multiple skylights and large glass windows bring in tons of natural light to brighten up some awesome, hand-painted murals on their walls.
Large overhead doors connect their outdoor patio to the inside space seamlessly, and we’re sure they brighten up the abundance of picnic tables with additional live plants when the weather allows. The patio was covered with multiple inches of snow during our visit, but it looked like a pleasant place to enjoy a drink during the summer months.
One of the incredible, large murals
Large space with plants aplenty
These brewmasters must have quite the green thumb!
The Beer
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!
Wandering Leaf maintains a nice beer selection, with 14 different brews on tap at all times. The bartender informed us that, of those, 3 are flagships, a few are seasonals or periodic repeats, and the others are more experimental in nature. This is right up our alley, as it constantly provides the opportunity for something new while still allowing you to rekindle your taste buds with a fan favorite. They do a nice job of keeping various styles available, with this trip’s menu featuring multiple IPAs and blondes, along with an amber, pilsner, sour, and stout.
Their brewers do a great job at making their beer stand out via the use of unique flavorings and spices such as cinnamon, habanero, and plum - none of which you see very often. They also had a few collaboration brews with other breweries, and even a coffee shop, which always seems to bring fresh ideas to the table. Everything we sampled was well above average in the taste department, but there were a few that really stood out. One of those is the Feral Female, which is an English-style porter. This one had a great smoked taste and a nice roast, yet it still left our mouth with a slightly bitter finish. While we have come across beet-flavored beers before, Wandering Leaf might just make the best one out there. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the name of theirs and, as you might imagine, has a strong earthy taste along with a rich, red color. Uniquely, this one also gives off plenty of lemon - a nice contrast!
Food, Merch, & More
While you won’t find a kitchen at Wandering Leaf, they do typically partner with food trucks and also have offerings of locally made trail mixes and cookies. If beer isn’t your thing, they also have several seltzer offerings that appear to be made in-house, and a few non-alcoholic beers and teas. The merchandise section is located near the bar and features hats, shirts, baby onesies, mittens, and some handmade plant basket hangers. Luckily for us, they also had most of the beer menu available in 16-oz cans that they’ll even let you mix and match.
Wandering Leaf exceeded expectations and provided us with a brewery experience far from the norm. We will certainly be back and hope that you pay them a visit as well if you find yourself in the St. Paul area.
Cheers!
